Carnival of Souls
by The Bloody Red Queen Of Angst
Summary: It had been said that the Joker ran these streets as the King of Gotham City. But what happens when the streets are rocked by a new reign of terror? By a new King. One...with an Ace up his sleeve. Disclaimer: I don't own Batman or Fruits Basket, or any of the characters involved. *Complete*
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Greetings! And congratulations to ME for another year on this wonderful site with all you amazing people. For those of you who know me and my writing style, I hope that this comes as something just a little different and surprising to you. Maybe.**

 **And for those of you who don't know me...by the end of this...you will.**

 **This story is sort of a triple cross between the Batman/Suicide Squad universe, the Fruits Basket universe, and my own original story. I had a difficult time deciding between the Batman universe and Suicide Squad universe because...this story is almost entirely motivated and driven by the soundtrack song "Purple Lamborghini." And I recently saw the movie for my New Year's celebration and it was simply WONDERFUL! If you have not yet seen the movie, I highly recommend it.**

 **Also...this story contains characters from my saga including "Insufferable Bastards," "The Irresistible Force Paradox," "Fire And Ice," and "Roll Bounce." Though this is not really a part of that saga/arc, and I don't necessarily think you will need to read these to enjoy the unfolding story, it may make the characters make more sense.**

 **Finally...I wrote this as a one-shot. Honestly...I did. But the whole thing ended up being so fantastically long that I had to split it up. So...without further ado, let the games begin.**

* * *

"Honestly." This came whispered in an airy, almost effeminate lilt caressed in the faintest makings of a Japanese accent along practically flawless English. "I have _no_ idea how you convinced me to do this."

"Please." Another...colder voice scoffed with a small snort of deprecation that dispersed the thin veil of cigarette smoke. "There was no convincing needed. When I told you what I was planning you practically _begged_ me to come along."

"I should have you know I've never begged for anything in my life." These words came haughty in swift rebuke. "It is beneath me."

"Of course it is..."

"Honestly," The man's soft voice lifted in schooled irritation. "why must you always be so insufferably argumentative?"

"Because I know you like it, babe." This came a flat, pithy, straight faced retort to the man's question.

"You know _nothing_ of the sort." The man bit back in growing vexation.

"Whatever you need to tell yourself in order to sleep at night." The other conceded passively along the makings of an amused smirk and drag of his cigarette.

"Not that it's any of _your_ business, but I sleep just fine, thank you."

"...mmhm..."

Had either man been asked what had brought them to this moment. To such great lengths and extremes. There would have most likely been two _very_ different answers. One might have responded that this was merely a statement. The other...might possibly have claimed simply being bored.

But...if they were to be asked what brought them _together_...?

To call what they had a 'friendship' would have been deeply misleading. No. They weren't friends. But to have called them enemies would have been a gross understatement. Because the mutual, violently destructive hatred they held for each other ran deeper than any mortal man's hate for his enemy.

What they had.

What they shared.

Was an alarmingly toxic sense of competition. Constantly attempting to outdo the other in a never ending game of Russian Roulette. Where both men knew the other's trigger, and willingly handed over the shared revolver. Daring each other to squeeze down and take the shot. They fed off each others rage and hostility...which made them dangerous when on their own.

But...together?

Together...they were lethal.

And it spelled misfortune in the truest sense of the world when they had discovered just how effective they were together...when a united front.

"Are we clear about the plan?" This question came a low, cold whisper from lifeless lips as they exhaled and dispersed another screen of smoke.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"For the last time, _yes."_ The man snapped in that sophisticated tone of his.

Precise and polished, just like his outward presentation. A beautiful facade that covered a very ugly monster.

"Good." The other quipped through a pointed pause and the drag of his cigarette. "Any mistakes, and it's _your_ fucking ass along with theirs." And the man simply gave the soft cluck of his tongue before his delicate lips pursed into the lascivious simper of a smile to his partner, knowing full well that this was no mere vacuous threat.

To doubt this man's words would be to carelessly forfeit his own life.

A small moment of silence. The calm before the storm as they sat together in the car. Another soft drag of the cigarette and the release of a cleansing sigh through a perfect, slender nose manifested that ice cold voice once more.

"Are we ready?"

Another pause of silence met this question as the man gracefully contorted his lean, breathtakingly beautiful body in the seat, finally grasping the matching items he had been looking for. And that same mischievous smile played along his lips at the other's reaction to his token gift.

"...really..?" And the softest, chimelike chuckle pulled itself from the man's delicate lips.

"You don't like them?" The man cooed, playfully waving one of the objects in his hand.

"It's a bit theatrical, don't you think?" This fell flatly from thin lips held in a taut line.

"Well, that's quite the point." Lips held an alluring smile of amusement as a cold, calculating gaze regarded this gift. "Besides...you promised."

"Promised _what,_ exactly?" This came dubious to the man's claim with the raise of a well groomed brow.

"That if I gave you something you would make sure to put it to use." The man purred as another puffed sigh passed through a thin, slender nose.

"Fine." The concession was murmured quietly before the small twist of a caveat followed. "But I want the other one." A soft chuckle interlaced this demand as that cool voice continued. "It suits me better."

"Hm..." The man hummed, happily complying and handing over the chosen gift. "I agree... Tragedy _is_ more befitting of your temperament, my little Orestes."

Spared a frigid, threatening glance, the man said nothing further of his adversary's... _complex_...lest he squeeze this proverbial trigger a little too lightly. And the two exited the car as the doors were closed in tandem. A vehicle the man's partner prided himself on owning. A Lamborghini, though the man had heard it referred to as something else. A 'douche mobile' was it? The man still didn't quite understand this euphemism, but supposed that this name fit as well, judging by the response it had gained from his companion.

Though both men seemed so similar in appearance...both sporting a polished, sophisticated look...the two men none-the-less seemed to each hold their own individual sense of style and flare.

The man himself possessed thick, stick straight inky black hair that framed a pale, angel's face with a sweet cherub smile. His exotic, alluring, Asiatic features further set him apart form his Caucasian counterpart. And the expensive looking black silk button down and blood red tie he wore came underneath a finely tailored suit jacked. And the well fit, personally tailored top and jacket came paired with crisp black business trousers, finished with smooth leather shoes. Though his partner held a similarly classy style, there was just something that set him apart from the man.

Even the casual, almost strategic mussing of his own inky black hair could not hide the fact that behind this beautiful exterior lay a ruthless wolf. Having also dressed himself in an expensively tailored suit paired with opaque, designer Ray Ban sun glasses. The black fitted vest he sported in lieu of a jacket wrapped itself possessively around his slender waist. The sleeves of his white dress shirt came casually rolled to just above the elbows to give him a slightly more personable look than the man standing next to him. To set him apart. And this ensemble had only been further refined and personalized in the simple fact that he had forgone a tie for himself, having left the few top buttons of his dress shirt unfastened to reveal the delicate gold cross that hung from his neck. But this he seemed to sport with the effectiveness and power of any tie.

Snuffing out his cigarette along the sidewalk, the effeminate, Asiatic man's more disgruntled counterpart gave a small sigh.

"You sure this is the place?" He asked, his gaze falling along the unassuming brick building with the tacky neon sign displaying the even more pretentious name of 'The Ha Ha Hacienda.'

"If the information you provided me was correct, then yes." The man replied as he himself held the small playing card he had been given by his nemesis, his other hand holding the other half of the gift set he had offered. "I pay my sources _far_ too much for them to mislead me." And his counterpart gave a small nod of confidence to this statement.

"So tell me again of this man's transgression..." The man murmured curiously, his gaze held transfixed along the calling card of the Joker.

"He's been _interfering_ in my business." This came a cool response before a small, malicious smirk of a smile laced thin perfect lips. "And you know full well _nobody_ tells me what I _can_ and _can't_ do."

"Mm, yes..." The man purred, his memory refreshed by having attempted a similar eradication tactic with his adversary when he had invaded the man's city of Tokyo with his affairs.

...it had been... _unsuccessful_...

"That's part of your charm, I think." The man mused, having grown to respect his foe's persistence and refusal to back down, though this trait had caused _more_ than its fair share of problems between the two.

Because neither one of them knew exactly how to accept being told no.

But...the man had to admit that he _still_ found himself just a bit baffled as to why his arch nemesis had desired to establish himself in a city such as this. Gotham City.

...why here..?

Fidgeting contemplatively with the card in his delicate hand, the man supposed that if he were to give his adversary's motives any amount thought at all, it would probably have been simply because he could.

"Look at this place..." This came a cold utterance, filled and dripping with disdain. "Who does this jackass think he is, anyway? Calling himself The Joker..." And the man listened, finding himself having to agree with his mortal enemy. "This place is a fucking shit hole." These words were as flat as they were harshly blunt, a part of his adversary's personality that the man had needed time to grow accustom to.

...but he was right...

This establishment was... _pretensions_... And it lacked tact and sophistication.

"When we're done trashing it to send a message, I want to burn the whole fucking thing to the ground." And the man found an almost erotic moan coaxed from his lips at this declaration.

"I do so love it when you talk this way." He purred, having truly come to appreciate the man's propensity for violence despite his disturbingly even countenance.

"...I know you do..." Was the only, pithy response he received as his foe removed and discreetly pocketed his designer glasses. "Ready..?"

"Absolutely."

"Do you trust me?" The man met his partner's gaze and the seriousness of his expression.

"Would I have armed myself so heavily if I did?" And he was met with a sharp snort of amusement and that malicious twitch of a smile.

"Excellent."

And the two donned their matching masks to conceal their faces, the theatrical representations of Greek comedy and tragedy, as they slowly approached the old, dilapidated brick building.

"Do you think we should knock?" This came a cold murmur underneath the mask and the slight cant of the head, to which the man loosed attractive chimelike laughter.

"Mm..." The man purred from underneath his own mask in consideration. "I suppose it _would_ be terribly rude of us not to." He conceded to this as they paused at the door. "Shall I?" This caused yet another small, deprecating snort.

"By all means. Go for it." This came coolly murmured in a slightly muffled voice as two deathly firearms manifested in each of his adversaries hands. "I know how you just _love_ formality." With that, the man kicked as hard as he could along the dilapidated door of the seemingly run down establishment.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Please note that this story is both in the horror genre AND rated M. Though I do this rarely, this rating is for good reason.**

* * *

Time itself seemed to slow to a lazy crawl. All the better to take in the varied expressions of horrified shock along the faces of these unsuspecting people within the establishment as the man bearing the face of tragedy began to open fire.

 _This...was_ what vengeance sounded like.

Panic.

Chaos.

Screams.

Blood...and death.

And it was so beautiful to behold as the man followed behind his counterpart, reveling in this high as he too began to fire upon the patrons with his own weapons.

Having created his very own underworld with the establishment of his Tokyo brothel, the man had learned a valuable lesson. That the enemy of his enemy...was _still_ his enemy. And quite possibly an even _more_ inconvenient one. So if this self acclaimed 'Joker' was foolish enough to antagonize and bring upon the wrath of his nemesis...then...the man supposed that this character had earned what was coming to him.

He was a business man, after all. And this...was merely good business. It only benefited him to back the bigger dog in a fight that could easily come to his own doorstep if he wasn't careful. And he preferred to continue dealing with the devil he knew.

Besides...he had been bored running his underground brothel and found himself in need of a change.

Though he couldn't see his adversary's expression behind his mask, the man had no doubt that it would have been unmoved by the screams of his victims. Already, his mortal enemy had managed to create an unfathomable death toll as he moved himself through the unprepared establishment with such agonizing grace and almost surgical precision.

His companion was fearless.

And _that_ made him lethal.

With the way these patrons appeared incapable of offering up defense and appropriate countermeasures, the man began to wonder if maybe his information _had_ been wrong. Though he doubted that this would add up to anything more than a minor inconvenience for his partner, there was still that pointed threat should there be any mistakes. But before there could be any further concern given to this possibility, one of the staff behind the bar retrieve an illegal semi automatic firearm and began to put up fight.

So...they _had_ infiltrated the right place.

But as quickly as he offered up fight, the tender of the bar was gunned down. His blood spattered and grotesquely decorating the wall behind him as he slid lifelessly to the floor. And the very sight of it alone was so overwhelmingly intoxicating that it set the man's very insides in hot fire. Trailing behind his mortal enemy, offering necessary support from behind, the man reveled in this unholy justice. Picking up the pace to flank his partner in crime, the man threw his arm across his enemy, discharging fire. The two slowed and turned in an agonizingly graceful dance of sorts, chest to chest gazing over the other's shoulder at their targets as they maneuvered arms and legs in a fluid hailstorm of gunfire. Their expressions came veiled by the breathtakingly elegant masks that seemed to make them one in the same as their bodies molded and shifted together as one to lay waist to these most unfortunate souls.

Oh yes... On their own, they were dangerous and formidable animals in their own right.

But together.

 _Oh_...together...they were simply unstoppable.

As the sounds of their victims horrified screams and anguish began to dwindle and die down, it became clear that most of the combative staff and patrons of this shabby establishment had already perished and the second faze of the plan was ready to be implemented.

The handful of survivors left from this barbaric massacre were huddled together like cattle in one of the corners of the establishment. The man watched his nemesis engage in a slow predatory pace that he was all too familiar with, the face of tragedy taking in his remaining prey as he considered how best to devouter the unfortunate few. And the man bearing a smile bit along his lips to quell a small stifled laugh behind his own mask, having an idea of what lay in store for those who now coward to them in the hopes of mercy. With a small, contemplative sigh the man's adversary finally ceased his movements and stalked towards him, encroaching upon his personal space.

"If this is the place...where is he?" This came hissed through the exquisite frown pulling along the mask.

"You know that I'm not foolish enough to have mislead you." This came but a whisper as they conversed secretly amongst the unsuspecting witnesses. "And _you_ of all people should know that my sources are _never_ wrong. I'll remind you _that_ is the very reason you required my services for this endeavor, is it not?" The man hissed lowly in his soft, effeminate trill which seemed to ominously deepen for effect. "If he is not here..." He murmured lowly, giving pause to discreetly turn his veiled face to the remaining patrons. "...then perhaps one of _them_ knows where he is now hiding, hm?" The man offered this, watching how his companion took this into consideration.

"Fine." The voice behind the frown came cold and blunt. "We'll stick to the plan..." The man listened as the colder voice persisted in hushed tones. "You know what to do..." The man nodded, a diabolical simper playing along delicate lips. "Line these fuckers up and let's see what they know."

At this command, the two separated themselves as the man almost seductively sauntered languidly over the multitude of corpses underneath his feet towards the people corralled in the corner of this establishment. Gracefully lifting his arm, he extended his weapon upward and discharged three rounds into the ceiling above...simply to startle them. And he gave himself over to a small muffled chuckle of satisfaction as one of the women let out a terrified scream, another falling into grotesque stifled sobs.

"Konichiwa." The man spoke in a refined, smooth tenor laced in the faintest touch of a Japanese accent. "As you can see..." He continued, slowly approaching the huddles masses. "...my associate and I are _quite_ serious in our intentions." His soft, almost effeminate trill filled the space to gain the attention of the panic stricken hostages before dropping a little deeper for dramatic effect. "So believe me when I tell you that it will be in your best interest to comply with my _every_ instruction." And though these helpless on-lookers trembled in fear...they listened.

"Now..." The man paused theatrically as he tucked away one of his firearms along the small of his back underneath his suit jacket, quite enjoying the attention and center stage he had received through his previous demonstration. "...form a line...on your knees." And his black and depraved heart stirred with sick arousal as these sheep dutifully complied out of fear, lining themselves before him in submissive prostration.

Retrieving the small calling card his nemesis had provided to him, the man took his time silently and oh so slowly strolling down the line of people. Waiting. Feeding off of the mounting tension and fear radiating off of each and every one of them.

"We're looking for someone..." The man murmured as he paced down the line. "The man in charge of this establishment." This fell cool from delicate lips as he continued, playfully dangling the card in front of the faces of his victims. "My sources say he goes by the name of the Joker..." His gaze drifted along the faces of his captive audience, systematically gauging their expressions in search of a response. "As you all looked _so_ very comfortable here...I assume that one of you knows of his current whereabouts." A devious smile manifested from behind the mask of comedy as his voice dropped in ominous certainty. "And you _will_ tell me where he is hiding."

There it was. As clear as day. _Exactly_ what he had been searching for. The faintest tell in the drifting of a sideways glance to the floor. Smirking beneath his mask, the man quickly zeroed in on his prey, lowering his slender, beautifully dressed frame eye level to the young woman on her knees. As he regarded her a moment through the mask, feeling the approach of his partner from behind, the man gave himself over to the softest of sighs as he considered his options. Setting his remaining firearm down to the side of him, the man slowly stretched pale, cold fingertips towards the young woman's face. Turning away from his impending touch, the woman looked away...her whole body trembling as she squeezed her eyes shut along the threat of tears brimming along her lashed.

"Please." She breathed weakly. "...don't..."

For the briefest moment, this seemed to halt the man's intentions. His hand dropped back to the side of him to support his stooped frame. But that gaze never left the woman's face. He found himself infatuated with her fear of him. His hand raised again, though this time to his own face as...for the first time since entering the building...the man lifted his mask to reveal himself.

Behind the elegant, smiling mask was an even more enticing face. Pale and perfectly flawless, inviting with an angelic, almost boyish innocence given his twenty odd years. And obsidian eyes as dark, cold, and depthless as the farthest reaches of space. Reaching his hand to her once more, the man tenderly grasped the woman's chin between his thumb and forefinger. Coaxing her face towards him, the man was finally met with her tearful gaze. And the two held each others stare for a moment, the man witnessing her trembling begin to subside under his gentle touch as she was disarmed by the surprise of his exotic, ethereal appearance and genteel demeanor.

"There now..." The man cooed softly, offering her a candy sweet cherub smile. "You have no need to fear me, child." This softly spoken lie came so convincing that the woman found herself subtlety submitting to the false safety of his words. "All I desire is the truth, hm?" He murmured as he continued to hold her gaze with his mesmerizing stare. "There's no need to protect this man when he clearly holds no regard or care for your safety." He spoke softly in soothing tones, his voice a hypnotic pendulum's swing as he dangled the Joker's card in her peripheral. "Such blind loyalty to your master will do you no good, child." The man leaned himself a little closer to her from his haunches as he whispered in her ear. "Tell me what I want to know, and I promise you that the truth will set you free." And his thumb moved from her chin to quell the soft tremble of her lower lip as the tears silently spilled over to trail down her cheeks.

"But..." This came a fragile, breathy whisper along her lips as she held his stare, pleading with her own. "...I don't know where he is..."

The man gave a soft, contemplative sigh to this statement before glancing over his shoulder towards the looming figure of his silent counterpart. The two deliberated together, holding a silent conversation before the face of tragedy gave the small cant of his head and extended the gun in his hand towards the defenseless woman.

"I'm telling the truth!" The young woman protested fearfully, wide eyed with the raise of her voice as the man turned his angelic face towards her once more.

"And we believe you." He murmured grimly with a small nod as the silent phantom looming behind him continued to point the gun menacingly in her direction.

"Please..." She whimpered. "...no..." Her horrified expression implored this exotic cherub for mercy in her defense. "You said that the truth would set me free..."

"And so it has, child." The man's gaze held hers, his expression made all the more lovely in its empathetic sorrow towards this woman's fate.

The fragile silence that followed was disturbed by the soft, metallic click of the cocked hammer. Then...it was completely _shattered_ by the pull of the trigger and deafening shot that followed. And the space was once again filled with startled screams of horror-stricken panic as the woman's body slumped away from the man crouched before her. Through the desperate cries and ugly sobs, though the man's pale cherub face now came painted in the woman's blood from the close proximity during her untimely demise, his features seemed grotesquely at peace as he stared at the corpse for a moment.

...only a moment...before he retrieved his firearm and stood from his haunches, a sugar sweet smile lacing his lips once more.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Back up...Mommy's just had her vodka.**

* * *

"Now then..." The man spoke in an effortless singsong tone, his voice seeming to linger along subdued laughter. "...is anyone _else_ unaware of this man's location?" This came in that same playful tone as he held out the Joker's calling card to the remaining huddled survivors.

"Well?"

The man slowly sauntered along the line of survivors on their knees, curled on themselves in fear and terror. And his mortal enemy paced behind, the two moving and acting as one.

"What about you, hm?" The man murmured lightly, the sweet benignity of his soft effeminate lilt contrasting the more violent hand that gripped the hair of the next victim, pulling him back up to his knees. "Do _you_ know where he is?" The man asked, holding the card to their face as his captor's expression shaped in horrified befuddlement as to how to answer, their eyes darting to the young woman who had just been executed right in front of their eyes. "Well?"

"I..." The feeble voice of the man's prey stuttered in apprehensive fear.

"Aa!" The man chided sharply, the makings of an absolutely diabolical smile spreading along his delicate lips. "Think carefully over your answer, now." He cautioned almost comically, the masked figure behind him looming ominously...waiting for a response. "Your life quite literally depends on it."

The hostage fell silent under his interrogator's exotic, depthless gaze, fearing the silent executioner behind him. And time itself seem held hostage in this moment at the others looked on. Waiting. The victim's mouth gaped open and shut, nostrils flared as the man's fingers gripped all the more tightly to his hair. The blood spattered angel's expression fell then, the softest of sighs passing through his nose towards his prey's silence before his face contorted entirely into an expression of rage as the back of the gun clutched in his hand became viciously wielded as a weapon.

The man brutally struck his victim to the ground with the butt of his gun, a startling string of gleeful laughter following the sharp gasp of agony as the man turned towards his masked accomplice.

"I must confess," The man trilled happily in his ecstatic jubilation. "after having viewed some of your tasteless American action films, I've _always_ wanted to do that." A long drawn out sigh eased the man's levity as he gave the shake of his head.

"He doesn't know anything..." The man informed the lean figure behind him as horrified eyes widened in alarm.

"Wait!"

But this plea was silenced by the deafening sound as another gun shot rang out. Another body slumped to the floor. Another life gone. And this time, there were fewer reactive screams.

...the remaining few were loosing hope that they would survive this...

"...you're not going to get away with this..." A trembling voice rose to just above a whisper in the enveloping silence.

The man's slender form stiffened slightly in response to this inflammatory remark. And his masked companion gave the silent cant of his head. Moving themselves as one down the line, these ruthless wolves descended upon their new prey. Dropping his lithe frame to his haunches again, the man came eye level with this dissenter before roughly gripping the throat that had produced this taunt.

"What did you say..?" This came a threatening dare to speak again, the man's voice laced in genteel civility as he forced a smile.

"...I said..." These words choked along themselves as the man's fingers wrapped just a little tighter around his prey's throat.

"Hm?" The man purred playfully in a sickeningly sweet voice. "I can't seem to hear you."

"...you're not going to get away with this..." The dissenter croaked in a weak, breathless voice. "...when the Joker finds out what you did..." This came an ugly, gasped wheeze. "...he'll come for you..." The soft cluck of the tongue came slowly trailed by the amused pursing of lips.

"Now..." The man lulled in that seductive, velvet voice of his as he held his victim's petulant gaze. " _I_ have no personal interest in this matter..." His delicate lips held an almost lascivious smile. "But knowing my accomplice...I guarantee that he is anticipating _exactly_ that."

And the man's lashes fluttered along the awaited moment as he reveled in the knowledge of what was to come. The soft click of the cocked hammer, and his smile widened as he embraced the ear-shattering sound from behind him. And he felt his victim pushed back and slip from his fingers by the sheer force of the impact from the single bullet. The death blow. And the warm sensation of fresh blood splattered along the sensitive, pale flesh of his face and neck caused an almost obscene giggle to crawl it's way up his throat.

"What's so funny..?" This came cold from behind him as his lashes fluttered open to take in their latest victim.

"Oh, nothing especially..." The man chuckled as he glanced over his shoulder from where he crouched. "It's just that by the end of this I fear you may owe me a new suit."

"So fucking bill me." His masked companion retorted in unamusement through that same frigged tone that could have frozen the very fires of Hell.

"Very well then." He purred with that same wicked smile before his attention was drawn by the manifestation of stifled sobs from one of the remaining women on her knees.

"Even if we tell you where he is..." Tears trailed down her flushed cheeks from lifeless, empty eyes. "...you're not going to let us live..." She choked along another helpless sob as her teary gaze drifted up to the face of this exotic, pale, blood stained angel. "... _are_ you..?" The man's ethereal features became placid for a moment before falling empathetically somber at her words as he gave a small, passive hum.

"I'm afraid not, my dear." He conceded with the light shake of his head before another gunshot rent the air with its sound and her body crumpled to the floor beneath her.

The man gave another, almost doleful sigh before coming to stand once more. Turning towards his companion, the blood spattered angel strode over, an unreadable expression shaping his exotic, Asiatic features.

"I must apologize." He murmured lowly to the masked man. "It seems that, though we have found his hideaway, the one you're searching for is not here..." This came whispered discreetly as the man moved his body enticingly close to his nemesis. "And I doubt with what we have done that these people will be very useful or willing to give him up knowing their own fate." And the faintest nod of agreement was the only response he received.

Placing a consoling hand along his enemy's shoulder before quietly stepping past him towards the door, the man heard three final resounding shots ring out as his masked companion finished the remaining victims, mercilessly bringing their lives to an end.

"What a shame..." The man murmured through the ensuing silence that befell these now lifeless walls. "To have come all this way for not." The man's counterpart wordlessly stalked passed him and out the door, and he gave himself over to a small sigh and the shake of his head.

There would be no living with him now...

The almost childish silent treatment continued as the masked phantom reentered the establishment bearing a gas can in either hand in favor of his firearms. The man's depthless orbs stealthily trailed his arch enemy's every move, his nostrils flaring towards the overwhelmingly offensive odor of gasoline. The smell. The sounds. The sharp splash of the liquid along the corpse littered floor below. The tapping of his companion's business shoes.

Then his nose twitched and crinkled towards another scent entirely.

Languidly sauntering past his busied partner in the almost erotically lascivious movements of his slender body, the man smiled. But this smile was _so_ sinful. So fowl and seductively wicked that it would have brought the devil himself to a blush. Gravitating towards the tattered, bullet ridden bar in the back of the establishment, the man slipped himself behind the counter as a shrill scream pierced the silence and gained the attention of his masked adversary.

Slowly making his exit from behind the bar, the incessant shrieking coming unrelenting behind him, the man drug his claimed prize by her hair along the floor...kicking and screaming. And this spectacle caused his partner to halt his actions as he gave the silent, dubious cant of his head as to how the man had actually discovered her.

"Please..." The man scoffed at his partner's soundless show of disparagement. "Though I may not fancy women..." He spoke through the simper of a smile as the woman continued to scream and struggle on her back against the grip he held on her long raven tresses. "...I know a whore when I smell one."

The woman's screams turned towards desperate pleading sobs, her vibrant cerulean gaze wide and wild as the masked predator stalked towards her and her captor. Dainty, pale features came flushed under her duress as tears trailed themselves down her soft cheeks. Her thin, yet curvaceous body came almost indecently sprawled in display on the floor before this approaching wolf. Yet she struggled to right herself in the confines of her captor's hold and the tight, revealing clothing covering her supple flesh. Fierce desperation coursed through her body as this silent phantom stopped mere inches from her to loom and tower over her. As her blue eyes lifted to hold her ground against this masked individual, feeling the eyes behind the veil leer at her with a level of hostility, the woman felt herself cower and shrink against her captor when this ominous figure moved to lift his mask.

The face revealed to her from behind the mask of tragedy was absolutely beautiful. Truly striking in its captivating appeal. Though seeming to hold just a few more years and far less innocence than the man who continued to grip her hair to hold her still and keep her from fleeing, this man's face was as tragically divine as the mask he had just removed. His raven black hair was casually mussed, tantalizingly begging the woman to run her trembling fingers through it. In startling contrast to the dark, inky hair were his eyes. Light, pale blue. A color that was entirely unsettling and almost disturbing to behold for any length of time. But...they were none the less deeply attractive in their unique quality as he gazed down upon her in cold regard.

"Something wrong?" The man questioned in that soft, effeminate lilt as his counterpart continued to simply stare at the woman in silence. "What seems to be ailing you?"

And the woman felt herself confounded by this question from her captor. Because the one who gazed upon her, though by no means warm in his demeanor, didn't appear to be troubled by much of anything. His face calm and collected with the stoic expression he held. But it seemed that her captor knew something that she didn't...

But before she was given further time to wonder over this question thin lips were parted in a frigid, one word response.

"...her..."

"Hm?" The man gave the cant of his head as dark onyx orbs delved into those of frigid ice.

" _This_ fucking bitch..." His blue eyed companion murmured pointedly in a low, drawn out hiss of venomous disgust. "...reminds me of _her_." And the man's cherub features shaped themselves in an expression of understanding as he himself gave the faintest nod.

"Mm..." The man gave a passive hum as he roughly manipulated the woman's head by her hair in such a way as to tilt her head back and up so he could take a better look at her. "I suppose this woman _does_ somewhat resemble her." He conceded as those dark, penetrating orbs lingered along her terror stricken face before they returned to his partner once more. "Well. This is... _problematic_." The man gave the light purse of his delicate lips.

"You think?" This came bit back harshly from thin lips held in a taut line.

"What are you talking about?" The woman's voice manifested in a weak, shaky tenor on the verge of fresh tears as she gained the man's attention away from his accomplice.

"It seems that you bear a likeness to my associate's mother..." The man murmured, an almost strangely passive expression shaping his blood stained face as he gazed down at her through those dark orbs.

And the woman's own features shifted along waves of varying emotions.

Confusion.

Trepidation.

Fear.

Yet something lingering just behind her enchanting cerulean gaze caused the man to openly laugh. The sound of it light and heady as he fell into obscene giggles.

"Oh my, would you look at that!" He exclaimed to his blue eyed partner through his growing amusement. "The poor thing actually believes that this will somehow play in her favor!" The man continued to laugh as he turned his face towards the woman once more. "Believe me, dear." This came playfully coy through the diabolical smirk of a smile. "...your resemblance to this man's mother will do you no good. Nor will it improve your situation." The smile lingering on his lips turned maliciously wicked as his dark onyx gaze thrilled towards the mounting horror etched along her face. "...in fact..." His voice dropped just a it deeper for dramatic effect. "...I'm afraid it will only make things far worse for you." And the woman's terrified gaze fell along the pale eyed predator as he himself began to smile.


	4. Chapter 4

The woman's terrified gaze fell along the pale eyed predator as he himself began to smile.

A wide, frightening predatory smile promising pain as thin, perfect lips curled in pleasure to reveal his malicious intent.

And as he stalked forward to claim the woman for himself the more exotic man stepped almost defensively in front of her to stop his approach.

"Aa." The man held his hand in protest, projecting an air of authority to usurp the other's actions. "Not yet." He cautioned, his voice oddly deeper as he exuded dominance and control over the situation. "This one may still prove to be useful."

"I don't care." The blue eyed devil practically growled in warning, angry and frustrated at having been thwarted.

"You will..." The man responded coolly, his affect strangely calm in the face of his partner's overt hostility. "...if she happens to know the whereabouts of the man you're looking for and you decide to end her life prematurely." This came velvet smooth as the man stood firm against his enemy's wishes. "Allow me to find out what she knows..." He murmured softly in a quiet, almost soothing lull. "... _then_ you may have your way with her, hm?" Depthless black orbs watched his partner consider this fact for a moment, that pale blue gaze drifting from the woman back up to him as he pushed a sigh through his slender nose.

"Fine." This concession came harshly snapped from thin lips as the man's personal space was almost violently invaded as his adversary closed what little space had been between them. "But don't you _dare_ fucking kill her, you understand?" The man absorbed this whispered threat in his ear. "The bitch is _mine."_

"Very well." The man hummed as his partner backed away, the two exchanging a silent look before the man offered a cheeky smile towards his victory.

"Now then..." He trilled happily, his voice effortlessly dispelling the tension that had momentarily engulfed the moment as he spoke to the woman beneath him. "...where were we, my dear?"

The man dropped himself to her level, finally releasing the hold he'd had on her hair.

"Ah yes." That smile of his came sickeningly sweet and just a bit coy as he continued. "I have some questions for you." He held that terrified cerulean gaze as the woman feebly attempted to shrink away from him. "If you cooperate with me, I promise that your suffering will be minimal and this will end quickly, hm?"

A hand cupped slender fingers over the cigarette as the man's blue eyed cohort lit it, settling himself in to play spectator to this interrogation. He took a slow drag before exhaling a breath of smoke, holding the cigarette delicately poised between his fingers as he closely monitored the man's every action through a veil of smoke and scrutinizing eyes.

Feeling the eyes of his partner upon him, the man once again held out the Joker's calling card, his expression kindly and inviting despite his pale complexion being painted and grotesquely marred by the blood of their previous victims.

"Tell me, my dear..." The man cooed, his voice a gentle, soft lilt as it came a salve to her fear. "Do you know where this man is?"

The woman deliberated with herself, her blue eyes shifting quietly from the man's face to the card, and back to his face as she attempted to discern what answer would spare her pain. And she could see that the longer she remained silent, the more his friendly demeanor seemed to chip away and crumple. He was becoming impatient with her. She could feel it. And as time moved to an agonizingly slow crawl, she could sense the other's cold stare on the _both_ of them.

Waiting.

Watching.

Anticipating what this man would do to her.

Suddenly, and without warning, the man's expression contorted as he drew a sharp breath into his nose and the back of his hand made violent contact with the woman's face, striking her to the ground. The sound of this brutality rang out and ricocheted off the walls as she let out a gasped sob of anguish. And the man seemed satisfied by the sound of her pain as he shook out the sting of his hand at having struck her so harshly.

"Now then..." The man smiled to himself as the woman attempted to stifle her whimpered cries. "Shall we try this again?" He asked with that same kindly smile as the woman now openly sobbed before he gave a moments pause.

"Believe me..." The man murmured empathetically, his well groomed brows furrowing towards her open distress. "...the mere thought of harming a woman gives me no pleasure, I assure you my darling child." The man offered lightly in the ensuing silence. "But you must understand _this_ , my dear. I am _not_ a man to shy away from what is necessary in order to be taken seriously, hm?" He murmured lightly through the woman's stifled sobs. "No matter _how_ deplorable the means may have to be to achieve that end." A small sigh pushed itself through the man's nose as he mused to himself over his next course of unseemly action. "And believe me..." He uttered this, his voice dropping for effect as he leaned a little closer to the cowering woman. "...there are a great many unspeakably vile acts I can, and _will_ force upon you if you insist on keeping this man from me."

"I don't know where he is!" The woman broke down, her body shaken and rocked with unintelligible sobs as she held her face where she had been painfully struck.

"I see..." The man gave himself over to a small, disappointed sigh as his dark gaze fell to the card lingering in his hand. "Then you leave me little choice, my dear." His voice came grim along the words that parted his lips. "It seems that I will have to resort to more... _creative_...methods of coaxing the truth from you."

And with these most fateful words, the woman's tortured screams of pain and anguish rent the air as the man systematically beat and abused her in the most imaginatively deplorable and painful ways possible. For the next hour, there was no breath or pause between his abuse and the sounds retched from her lips.

For an hour...he had his way with her.

For an hour, her body belonged to him.

And for that hour, the woman maintained her silence as to the whereabouts of the Joker despite the man's vigorous efforts in retrieving the answer from her.

As the woman lay still and breathless from having endured such torture...and lived...the more exotic man stood and raised himself from his handiwork. His once refined and attractive inky tresses were now smattered and sticky with her blood. Slowly walking towards his partner, dark orbs met pale blue as he held a somber expression.

"Well..?" His adversary murmured coldly. "Does she know where he is?"

"I'm afraid not, sadly." The man replied with a sigh of disappointed exasperation.

"Then it's my turn with her." This came low and ominous as the man gave himself over to a reluctant nod of concession.

"So it is." And the man turned back to the woman as his counterpart silently stalked behind.

"Well, my dear." His voice raised to the huddled, beaten mass along the floor that had once been a beautiful woman. "It has been a delight getting to know you so intimately, but I fear my associate has grown quite impatient." These words were cordial with an air of sophistication along the delicate lilt of his effeminate voice. "So I'm afraid I must now hand you over to him."

With this, the man took a step back as his partner approached his defenseless prey. The woman shrank back and coward as best she could to protect herself, but was once again roughly gripped by her hair as this new abuser pulled her closer to him to prevent her escape. The two held each others gaze. Blue violently collided with blue as he coldly regarded the woman's swollen and battered face. And the woman's body began to shudder and tremble underneath that pale blue gaze.

"Who _are_ you..?" She feebly whimpered out through the tremble of her lip as the face before her held a strangely stoic countenance before her captor leaned in and brushed his lips against her ear.

And with each whispered word, more horrified tears streaked along her smudged cheeks.

"Please..." She whispered. "...no..."

"Say it."

"Please don't do this." She cried in grotesque, choked sobs.

"Say it." This demand came more emphatically hissed in her hear as the fingers in her hair tightened their grip and tugged, causing a pained moan to be maliciously pulled from her lips.

"Please..." She gasped against the breathless pants of growing hysteria. "... _Kris_..." And she felt the tremble of his lips against the flesh of her cheek before another cold whisper infiltrated her fear muddled mind.

"Now... _scream_ it." The woman's breath hitched in her throat as her chest heaved in turmoil over this new demand.

"No..." She continued to desperately implore her new captor. "Please don't make me..."

These fragile pleas were ignored, however, as the woman felt her hair violently pulled again. Her head was tugged away as the demanding lips hovering next to her ear were replaced by something _far_ more menacing pressed against her temple. Squeezing her eyes shut, the woman began to tremble along the heavy, frightened sobs rocking her beaten, violated body. And a deeper, more masculine scream perforated her ear as it drowned out her own desperate cries.

" _ **SCREAM IT!**_ "

This snarled shriek of a demand rent the air with such violent force and searing, hateful rage as the woman felt the gun held to her temple pressed more firmly against her head. Her voice bubbled up and manifested through her cries in an almost unintelligible rush of words as she began to comply.

"Kris!" She screamed his name as he had demanded before continuing to beg for her life. "Please! Don't do thi-"

The woman's final cry was swallowed up and engulfed by the resonating sound of a single gunshot as it rang out to herald her gruesome demise. And the silence that followed washed up and lapped over the moment in rippled waves. Like those of a pond that had been disturbed by a stone's throw as the water trembled before coming to still again.

And in this stillness...shuddered, ragged breaths pushed through a slender nose as the man's partner steadied himself against the cathartic rush that had just befallen him. As the man slowly approached his companion and the corpse of a woman next to him, the predatory blue eyed wolf's back stiffened to this intrusion. An arm came wordlessly extended in warning, the silence caressed with the soft click of a cocked hammer as the man found himself precariously held at gunpoint.

"Not. A fucking. Word." This came hissed in warning through shaky breaths as the man stilled in his approach, giving his nemesis silence through this bout of emotional vulnerability.

He had seen this side only once before. And he knew from personal experience that it would be dangerous and foolhardy to approach any closer until his adversary regained calm. As he allowed his enemy to ride out this turbulent storm in silence, the man sat in the aftermath of what they had just accomplished. Together.

And it was simply beautiful to behold.

Listening to his cohort's breath even as that lean form began to relax and the gun was safely lowered, the man gave an almost tender sigh to his enemy's back.

"Do you feel better?" He asked through that soft, quiet lilt of his as his adversary set his gun down next to him on the floor where he still knelt.

"No." This came a cold, breathless murmured response to his question.

"You know..." The man lulled through almost flawless English. "...you might want to consider seeking out someone to speak with about this little _problem_ of yours." And this seemed to generate a thick snort of amusement from his arch nemesis as his head drooped somewhat.

"Are you trying to be funny?"

"Only a little." The man purred admittance through the simpler of a smile.

"Our work here is done." He spoke along the strange calm that had now enveloped and tenderly embraced this moment. "We should be readying ourselves to leave, hm?" And to this he watched his partner give the nod of his head before retrieving his firearm and drawing himself to a stand.

With the slow turn, the man gazed upon his partner's face that was now...like his...splattered in the war paint made of the blood of their victims. Yet that expression and countenance was the same he always held. Cold. Calm. At peace in the madness and chaos he had just created. Had begun _and_ brought to an end.

Tucking his gun to the small of his back, the man's adversary fished through the pockets of his business slacks to retrieve his precious cigarettes. Taking one from the pack before slipping the rest back from where he'd claimed them, thin fingers curled around the cigarette as the man watched him light it. Lips met the end of the cigarette in a lovers kiss as the blue eyed wolf took a satisfied drag before tilting his head back to exhale a long curl of smoke from his slender nose.

"Will you be driving?" The man asked through this almost blissful moment of peace after the violent chaos of the storm.

"Mm." The man's partner gave a small hum of acknowledgment through another drag of his cigarette as the man's lips spread in the simpler of a smile.

"Wonderful." He lulled happily, tiptoeing over the myriad of corpses littering the floor beneath his feet as he saunter his lithe frame towards the demolished bar. "This calls for a drink, then."

The man helped himself to the other side of the counter once more, perusing the few intact bottles of liquor that had managed to survive the fray. Finding one he fancied, the man plucked it from its place along the shelf before helping himself to a gaudy crystal glass in one of the cabinets. Pouring a generous helping of the whiskey into his glass, the man then gracefully perched himself along the top of the counter. Draping his long slender legs off the edge as they came tantalizing crossed at the thigh, the man sat poised along the bar, savoring the sweet, spice and satisfying afterburn of the alcohol as it slid along his tongue and down his throat.

"You _do_ realize what you've just done." The man drawled softly as he absentmindedly swirled the amber liquid in a dance. "You've just begun a war."

"I know." The man's companion murmured through a breath of smoke before continuing in a sardonic tone. "Don't tell me that worries you."

"Mm..." The man lightly shook his head, partaking in another sip of his drink. "On the contrary, I assure you." He mused through a wry smile. "I find it _quite_ exhilarating." Lips met the rim of the glass a final time as the man consumed the rest of his drink before easing himself off the counter top.

Placing the empty glass along the bar, the man slowly approached his partner in crime as the two regarded each other. Both bathed in blood and a little worse for wear, the two held a silent stare as dark obsidian pools delved into an endless ocean of frigid ice. These mortal enemies turned precarious allies. Tightly bound to each other in an unholy union, who could...and _would_...just as quickly turn on each other if the upper hand ever presented itself in their favor.

"Let's get out of here." The blue eyed fiend murmured coolly from thin lips, the cigarette poised gracefully between his fingers as the man nodded agreement.

Moving as one towards the exit, the man's adversary casually flicked his spent cigarette to the floor. And as it kissed the ground beneath them embers ignited what had earlier been doused in fuel as they passed through the threshold and left, one trailing behind the other.

Stepping into the light of day and the sidewalk of a city just waiting to burst into life, the two gave one final glance over the shoulder to the establishment they had just laid waist to...the flames now visible from the glass windows of the front entrance they had just passed.

"It truly is a shame we were unable to discover where this man is hiding..." The man mused to himself almost listlessly as his dark obsidian gaze took in the growing flames from the inside of the building.

"Not really." This came cold and passive in response to the man's inner thoughts.

"Oh?" The man murmured lightly as his adversary partook in another of his vices. "But you seemed so intent on finding him..." He quipped as he watched thin, perfect lips lace around the cigarette before it came poised between his partner's fingers.

"I was." This came in response to the man's statement. "But now this fucker's going to come find me." And as he said this, his hand came slipped into the pocket of his slacks once more as fingertips withdrew a small calling card of his own.

And the man chuckled to himself as he watched his nemesis strategically place this card along the glass window of the entrance. A signature of sorts as the King of Spades came almost theatrically displayed along the window, marking the building in an almost egotistical manner with the first letter of his name.

"Fancy yourself a king, now, do you?" The man questioned with a wry smile.

"And what if I do?" The blue eyed wolf countered this question with a cold stare as the man continued to smile.

"If you mean to rule this city, Mr. Mitchell..." The man responded along the simper of a smile. "...then I shall remain the Ace up your sleeve."

 **The End**

 _Let's watch it burn..._

 _Let's watch it burn..._

Let's watch this city burn the world

Let's watch this city burn  
From the skylines on top of the world  
'Til there's nothin' left of her  
Let's watch this city burn the world

My body doused in ash

With two empty cans of gas

The only evidence they have

Is a police sketch of my mask

And it's hard at times to ask

If you can save my heart for last

And it's hard to face the facts

When the darkness fades to black

It's not just make believe

When they make me take a seat

And they put amphetamines

In the air and make me breathe

So come on and grab your children

Look out for burning buildin's

And villains

Who pillage

They killin' by the millions

And billions

Of people die, for a lost cause

So now I pray to my nation destroyed under God!

 _It's the end of the world..._

All my battles have been won,

But the war has just begun!

Let's watch this city burn  
From the skylines on top of the world  
'Til there's nothin' left of her  
Let's watch this city burn the world

The city looks so pretty

Do you wanna burn it with me?

'Til the skies bleeds ashes

And the fuckin' skyline crashes

They catch us with matches to ignite the flame

And all the hopes of a youth deemed fuckin' insane

They say

Take the pill!

In God we trust!

Go and kill!

God loves us!

As in life!

As in death!

Breathing 'til there is no breath!

I will not die in the night

But in the light

Of the sun

With the ashes of this world in my lungs

But who am I to say

Let's all just run away

Grab your saints, and pray

We're gonna burn this world today!

 _Say it's the end of the world..._

As in heaven

As on earth

We've been dead since our birth!

Let's watch this city burn  
From the skylines on top of the world  
'Til there's nothin' left of her  
Let's watch this city burn the world

 _Let's watch it burn..._

 _Let's watch it burn..._

The city looks so pretty!

Do you wanna burn it with me?!

The city looks so pretty!

Do you wanna burn it with me?!

The city looks so pretty!

Do you wanna burn it with me?!

The city looks so pretty!

Do you wanna burn it with me?!

We use the trees as torches!

Do you wanna burn it with me?!

Fill the streets with corpses!

Do you wanna burn it with me?!

Watch the city fuckin' bleed!

Do you wanna burn it with me?!

Bring the world to its knees!

Do you wanna burn it with me?!

Let's watch this city burn  
From the skylines on top of the world  
'Til there's nothin' left of her  
Let's watch this city burn the world

Let's watch this city burn

 _Let's watch it burn..._

From the skylines on top of the world

 _Let's watch it burn!_

'Til there's nothin' left of her

 _Let's watch it burn..._

Let's watch this city burn the world

 _Let's watch it burn..._

 _Let's watch it burn..._

Let's watch this city burn the world

* * *

 **A/N: The lyrics featured in this chapter are from the song "City" by Hollywood Undead. This story once again showcases my original character, Kristean Mitchell, and the Akito Sohma archetype from Fantom Angst's "Creatures of the Underworld." Thank you all for supporting this story! I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! And now that this is our of my system, back to the regularly scheduled mayhem!**


End file.
